Quick heads up from me. I am currently at the last provincial competition for the boys gymnastics team this weekend, so my replies may be a little slower than usual while I am coaching and helping athletes through the event. I will be getting back to posts, comments, and videos as soon as I have free time. That said, weekends like this always remind me of something important. A competition does not just show who is talented. It shows who can trust their basics, manage their nerves, and keep showing up when things matter. And honestly, that applies to hybrid calisthenics just as much as gymnastics. 🔥 Lessons from competition that apply to your training too 1. Basics win under pressure When athletes get nervous, they do not rise to some magical level. They fall back on what they have practiced the most. That is why your basics matter so much. • Push-ups • Pull-ups • Squats • Pike work • Hollow body holds • Hanging • Handstand wall work The fancy stuff is built on boring consistency. 2. Technique usually breaks before strength A lot of misses are not because someone suddenly got weak. It is because timing, body tension, focus, or positioning broke down. That is the same in calisthenics. A handstand usually fails before your shoulders truly fail. A muscle-up often fails before you are actually out of strength. A lot of skills are lost through position first. That is why clean reps matter. 3. Confidence is built before the big moment Confidence is not something you magically feel on the day. Confidence comes from reps. It comes from knowing you have done the work. It comes from having practiced enough that your body knows what to do. That is the same reason small daily practice matters so much here. 4. Nervous system matters Competition is a reminder that being strong is not the same as performing well. You also need to be able to stay calm, breathe, focus, and execute. That is why in hybrid calisthenics I care so much about: • controlled reps

Finally making time to work on CTW. They feel harder, scarier and more awkward, but my posture and shoulder mobility is the next thing holding me back. Trusty mattress helping me get over my fear and maybe work towards a wall handstand push up.

Excuse the spam. I had no kids for two days, and am on holidays. Completed all the arm balances I was playing with the other night, during my workout today. Tested my crane, flying splits, a weird funky half baby crow/ firefly transition to eight angle. And moving my foot through in lower positions.

My sister sent me an Instagram Challenge. So I jumped in the doorway and sent this link https://www.instagram.com/reel/DXEpBo1E_if/?igsh=YjR0dTYwOWl5MDF6 back, then played around with getting this wavy legs thing more flowy in headstand.

The handstand press is one of the coolest examples of what hybrid calisthenics really is. It is not just strength. It is strength, flexibility, control, balance, and technique all working together. That is why it is such an awesome skill. And that is also why it feels so hard at first. If you have ever watched someone smoothly float from a straddle or L-sit into a handstand, that is the handstand press. It looks clean. It looks powerful. And it exposes exactly where you are limited. Usually that means one of two things: • You need more shoulder strength • You need more compression and hip strength Most people are missing both a little bit. That is normal. 🔥 Why the handstand press is hard The first challenge is the lean. Before your feet even leave the floor, you have to shift a lot of weight into your hands and shoulders. That part alone already feels like a strength skill. Then once the feet leave the floor, you need enough compression strength to lift the legs and enough control to stack into the handstand without rushing it. So this is not just “get stronger shoulders.” It is: • shoulder strength • compression strength • flexibility • handstand control • timing That is why it is such a rewarding skill. ✅ What you should have first Before worrying about a full press, you should already be working toward: • A solid handstand or at least wall handstand control • Pike or straddle compression drills • Basic pressing strength through pike push-ups • Comfort being upside down The good news is you do not need a perfect freestanding handstand before starting press drills. You can start building the pieces now. 🧩 The easiest way to think about the press Do not think about it as one giant move. Think about it in 3 parts: • Lean forward into the hands • Lift the legs into the mountain shape • Finish the stack into the handstand A lot of people try to skip the middle part. That is usually where the press breaks down. You cannot just think “lift legs and hope.”